For some time now, mobile executives have had stars in their eyes when they imagine the amount of money to be made with mobile video. Let's say advertising isn't part of the equation - or at least a small part of it. Maybe they believe consumers might pay $200 a month for their cell phone service.

In a speech filled with sarcasm, wit, and plenty of what broadcasters love best -- profanity -- at the opening of the National Association of Broadcasters convention in Las Vegas, actor-activist Tim Robbins offered some keen and entertaining commentary. "First, erase all diversity," he said. "You only need two opinions. Second, stay focused on sex scandals. We don't want any kind of reporting outside the sound bite. I don't know about you, but show me a drunk starlet getting out of a car with no panties on, and I think the world is a better place. Third, more distraction. The ...

TV casting is something close to Les Moonves' heart. So it must hurt that CBS' one high-profile, major talent decision turned out not to be cast in the right lake. After paying $15 million a year for Katie Couric, CBS learned one major lesson -- that one well-loved, high-rated early morning TV host/interviewer wasn't enough to turn around a declining segment of the broadcast business.

t seems as if we've been talking about Katie Couric leaving CBS since she first said "This is the CBS Evening News and I'm Katie Couric." No doubt some story will be right about her leaving. What report should we give credit to? The possibilities: The one where CBS was going to drop her right after the first few weeks, when curiosity waned? Or, the time when ratings were low and people were attributing that to her casual news stories? Or, the time after the show changed producers? Or, the moment after the show went back to a more standardized ...

What have we learned from the "Project Runway" snafu? That NBC could steal away ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" if it wanted to. Program contracts seemingly are like TV advertising contracts -- nothing ever seems to get signed. It is incredible more programming problems of the one involving The Weinstein Company's "Project Runway" and NBC's Universal's Bravo don't happen more often. It seems only email exchanges -- sometimes honorably -- bind parties together.

Should NBC Olympic advertisers start to worry about the Beijing Olympics? Yes. But such worries always come with the territory. Like it or not, politics has always been lurking beneath the big every-other-year, two-weeks-long international sporting event. For U.S. marketers, the question is whether they want to miss out on being associated with one of the biggest -- and most rapidly growing -- markets in years: China.

Years ago it was all the rage for U.S. media and advertising executives to attend international TV markets. Now, it's happening all over again. News has it that there is a surge of marketing executives who have descended on the MIP-TV conference in Cannes, France.

ust four fall shows at NBC? Is that something to complain about? I'd rather have four well-thought-out shows, rather than 11 half-baked ideas. TV marketers would want the same thing -- and maybe at only modest price increases, as well. To be fair, while NBC is launching only four in the fall, it'll be launching another four mid-season and others for summer 2009 --thus its 52-week plan (actually 65, if you count this summer).

The TV upfront dance is on -- and it's a fast one. Grab a partner, try your luck, and don't slip. Media buyers are doing some fancy footwork -- especially this year, with a scatter market that has seen a rocketing 30% or more in higher prices versus the upfront period of a year ago. The buyers' side of the story: Sure, there are high CPMs, but what about overall dollars? There isn't that much inventory around -- at least on the broadcast networks. Will this really translate into a big upfront market?